Job to do
by EmilieEvans
Summary: Don contemplates the pictures. Spoliers for 5x11 "Arrow of time". Oneshot. Please, R&R!


_Discla__imer: I really own nothing, I'm just a poor student who loves Numb3rs way too much for her own good. Please, don't sue me._

_A/N: I guess that was one of the best episodes ever! I really loved the introduction and Don's feeling in this ep seemed so real... I really felt bad for him and I was proud of how he handled the situation on the end._

_That idea popped in my mind a few hours after watching it. Somehow, I knew that the pictures held a lot of meaning to Don and I wanted to write it down._

_Oh, remember, I'm not Jew and I don't have a slightest idea about anything that is going on in synagogue. But I'm Catholic, so I think I may have some understanding of the Five Books of Moses. If anything is really, really wrong in these scenes, let me know, I'll try to rewrite that. I don't mean to offend anyone's feelings._

_Okay, here we go:_

* * *

**JOB TO DO**

Rabbi's voice echoed in the spacious building of synagogue. Strange, but somehow familiar and calming words of Torah were overwhelming and working their way into Don Eppes' heart and mind.

There were few places on the earth where he could find peace like he found there. Of course there was his childhood home, with his cheerful father and his genius brother. It was comforting, but it didn't offer him all the answers he needed.

Don raised his head and admired the stained glass, decorating the temple. All of those pictures had their meaning… But he wasn't sure what message they brought. Then, something caught his eye: the book of Torah, lying in front of him. The same words, he heard now being read out loud from the scrolls of Torah, were now in his arms reach.

Slowly, tentatively, he reached out and picked up the book, his fingers tracing the cover and the symbols engraved on it.

He opened it. Of course, the letters, the words weren't saying him much, but what captured his eyes were the pictures.

He started to browse through the pages, as if looking for something, some picture that would held some meaning to him, that would point him in the right direction…

_The tower of Babel._ Don remembered the story of people being so proud they wanted to build a tower high enough to reach God. Their vanity, feeling of importance led them to being punished: God gave people different languages to speak, creating confusion and misunderstanding amongst people.

Was he proud? Did his place as the boss led him to think he was better than the others? Maybe that was the reason he could really understand others?

Don shook his head. Most of the times, he understood his co-workers perfectly. The only people he couldn't understand at times were the geniuses, especially Charlie, but they were talking math. It wasn't his fault he couldn't understand some of their ideas and parallels.

_Noah's Ark._ God was grieved by the wickedness of the mankind and decided to flood them, saving only those who were worth it. Noah and his family were the only human survivors.

Lord decided who was to be punished, who was to be spared. It didn't fit well with Don. His work for the FBI put him on high demand. He was the one who decided whether or not people were to be punished. Or killed.

_Samson. _Once Don heard a story of Samson, he felt some sort of connection to that man's fate. Of course, he wasn't betrayed by woman he loved and let her find out the secret of his strength. But when Samson was being captured by Philistines, he sacrificed his life and used all his strength that was left in him to kill his enemies.

The sacrifice was known well to Don. He accepted the possibility of dying on the line of his work long time ago. He hoped, that if he was to die, it would hold some meaning.

_Moses with the Ten Commandments. _The rules. They were an inevitable part of Don's life and he knew what that meant to obey them, no matter what.

He knew however, that the way he lived often ignored, if not broke some of the rules of the Decalogue. _You shall not kill._

What was he to do, if his work demanded that from him? If there was no one else than law enforcements officers to protect innocents?

He had to kill sometimes. It was inevitable. Don sighed, putting the book at it's place and getting up. He couldn't find the answers here, too.

* * *

Don observed David leave from the temple, alongside with Buck and the rest of his agents. He really admired their restraint: they were watching him talk to this poor kid who might have killed him right on the spot.

But Buck didn't and Don knew he wouldn't. He just wanted to die.

Don sighed, sitting down on the bench. Something told him to pick up Torah again. As he touched the cover, he remembered the hope he felt when he did it for the first time, few days ago. So much has changed since that moment…

It was as if someone was guiding his hand. He browsed through the pages and finally opened the book on one page, the picture showing the young man in the cave, surrounded by lions.

He subconsciously felt Robin's presence behind his back, but he didn't wanted her to come closer to him. He needed time to think it through, understand what that picture meant. Fortunately she seemed to realise that he wanted to be alone, and held back.

Don leaned forward tracing the picture with his fingers. He barely remembered this story, but something stirred in his mind.

Daniel, that was the man's name. He broke some kind of rule made up by the ruler of the land in order to follow the God's commandments. He smiled. Why does that sound familiar? To break a law to do something that is right?

Daniel was punished by being thrown into lion's den. But God saved him. He spared him, because of his faith and his willingness to give up his life for a bigger cause. But not the way Buck had: that boy didn't knew what he was supposed to do with his life, so he decided to throw it away. Daniel trusted in God. Daniel knew, that if Lord needed him, He would save him.

Don didn't thought that God would even bother rescuing him from all the dangerous situations he was in during his work for the FBI. His own abilities as an Agent were enough for most of them. But maybe, just maybe he was spared this time, because he was meant to do some good on this Earth before his time will come.

Just like Daniel.

* * *

_A/N: So, what do you think? I really should have been learning for my logic and geometry tests and for my algebra exam... But I had to get it out of my head._

_Hope you liked!_


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